


Lies

by NorthernSerpent



Series: Falice: From A to Z [12]
Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Dry Docked Ship, F/M, I tagged the Wyrm as a character because it basically is
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-30
Updated: 2018-09-30
Packaged: 2019-07-20 06:58:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,704
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16132025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NorthernSerpent/pseuds/NorthernSerpent
Summary: Northsiders know the Whyte Wyrm for one thing and one thing only. Lawlessness. But to their neighbours to the South, it was home.aka the one where the Wyrm is a bar that caters to delinquents with superpowers.





	Lies

Northsiders know the Whyte Wyrm for one thing and one thing only. Lawlessness. But to their neighbours to the South, it was home.

Late at night, clad in leather jackets, Southsiders swarm the bar. They are the ones spat on by society, those who are constantly laughed at by the universe. But here, in the grimy bar on the wrong side of the tracks, they can forget all about the shitty hands they were dealt.

There is only one official rule. Powers and weapons are always to be left at the door.

Of course there is always the occasional idiot who ignores the giant sign plastered on the door only to be thrown out on their ass. Four out of five times, the idiot breaks into tears when the powers they’ve relied on as a crutch fails them for the first time in their lives.

"What did you do to me?” Malachai cries. He’s on his knees, hysterically examining his very normal hands. He’s oblivious to the crowd that had formed around him. “There should be sparks. _Why aren’t there sparks_?”

“You broke the rule,” grunts Hog Eye. “You brought a knife.”

Malachai flicks his fingers. Nothing. “What did you do?” he sobs. “ _What did you do?_ ”

FP steps into the circle and turns to the jeering crowd. “That’s enough everybody. Go back to getting drunk.”

There is a collective groan before the small crowd files back into the bar.

“Malachai, is it?” FP turns to him who is rocking back and forth on the pavement. “You know, you wouldn’t be in this mess if you just followed the rule.”

“You’re going down, old man,” Malachai threatens.

“Good luck with that.” FP laughs humorlessly. He turns back toward the bar. “Now get off my turf, or the Ghoulies will pay.”

 

-

 

Cheryl Blossom marches into the Wyrm as FP is wiping the bar rail. She slides a red dossier towards him and makes herself comfortable on the barstool.

“I have a proposition for you,” she states firmly, crossing her gloved hands across her chest. FP warily opens the folder to find a cover letter and resume inside. She must have spritzed it with something because it smells like flowers.

“You want a job?” FP frowns. That didn’t make any sense. The large inheritance Clifford left her was old news. “But you’re rich.”

Cheryl lowers her gaze. “This is the only place where I can touch somebody without hurting them.”

Suddenly the last few months made a whole lot more sense to FP. Toni Topaz bringing her new Northsider to the bar. How they couldn’t keep their hands off each other and complained the loudest when he announced last call.

FP made a point of never asking. This bar is meant to be a safe space, the only space where the misfits of Riverdale aren’t defined by their unconventional powers.

They say it affects roughly 12% of the population, although it is very likely to be more. It’s hard to measure these things, especially since powers manifests in varying strengths and ability. Some powers aren’t particularly super - Archie Andrews can draw a perfect circle 100% of the time. It's useless but harmless.

Others have more useful powers they can easily exploit. Hiram Lodge immediately comes to mind. They say he wins every game he ever plays.

The man was born lucky.

Others were lucky to be born.

“Cheryl, what exactly is your power?”

“I don’t know how it works. I don’t want to find out,” Cheryl confesses bluntly. “From what I’ve gathered, I can absorb memories through skin to skin contact, but I can’t control it. I have enough childhood trauma to deal with. I don’t want any more.”

“Is that it?” FP prompts.

“Of course not,” she says with a bright smile.“One of the unfortunate side effects is that I also suck the life force out of them.”

“Well shit.”

FP had seen everything in the years since he starting running the bar, but nothing made him as uneasy as Cheryl’s sickeningly sweet voice as she discussed potentially killing people.

“Believe me, Mr Jones, if I wasn’t blessed with suck, I would never have stepped foot in this skeezy place. It’s not exactly my ideal romantic destination,” she shrugs. “But it means I won’t put Toni in a coma like I did Jason.”

“So that’s what happened to him…” FP says before he can stop himself. “I thought it was a jingle-jangle overdose.”

“That is the story my parents endorse,” Cheryl rolls her eyes. “Better to have an addict son than a demonic daughter.”

FP takes a cursory glance over her CV. Given the amount of extracurricular activities, and her presumably terrible home life, he’s amazed that she manages to maintain her GPA.  

“Please, Mr Jones. I know that under your gruff exterior is some compassion. Toni says that you rarely ever leave the Wyrm so I know that you understand how important this place is.”

He's never had it in him to turn anybody away and the kid deserves a break.

“Has Toni told you about the rooms upstairs?” he asks as he scans the pages in front of him.

“What are you talking about?” Cheryl frowns. “Is this some weird sex thing? I literally just told you I can’t touch anybody.”

“God, no.” FP laughs. “I rent out the rooms upstairs. One just became available. I know it’s nothing like Thistle House…”

This was stupid. Why would Cheryl Blossom want to live on top of a rowdy bar?

“Is it safe?”

FP nods. “Just like the rest of the Wyrm.”

She gently wipes the corners of her eyes with her pinky. “I’ll take it.”

 

-

 

Every so often, local journalist Alice Cooper calls the bar demanding a statement about the Southside’s mystery of the week.

“How hard is it to understand, Alice? I don’t know anything,” FP growls into the receiver, earning a sympathetic glance from Hog Eye across the table.

“The Ghoulies have abandoned their territory in the Southside pretty much overnight and _you don’t know anything_?” she hisses into his ear. “You’re lying, FP.”

“You’d know all about that, wouldn’t you, Al?” It's a low blow and he knows it.

“Oh, fuck off.”

“Why don't you come down here and say that to my face?”

“For the same reason you haven't left that bar in a decade.”

The dial tone lets him know that conversation is over. For now.

 

-

 

People have speculated about the Wyrm for decades.  Something protects it, but what? A spell? A curse? An individual’s powers?

People scoff at the last one. After all, if somebody had the power to de-power individuals, why would they bother with the Southside? Why not pursue bigger dreams?

 

-

 

His phone vibrates and he grimaces as Acid Queen flashes across his screen.

“What do you want?” he snaps, mostly out of habit.

“Don’t worry, FP. This is a personal call,” she says and he immediately feels bad for being such a dick.

“Al, what’s going on?” he’s on edge. Alice Cooper doesn’t call him for personal reasons anymore.

“I know it's hard for you to keep tabs on your son so I thought I'd let you know that I caught him sneaking out of my daughter’s room,” she says. “Actually, I suppose technically I only caught his hat since I couldn’t see him due to the whole invisibility thing.”

FP is stunned. “But… Jug can’t turn his clothes invisible.”

“I know.”

“Oh jeez,” FP rubs his temple as the implications dawn on him. “I’ll talk to him.”

“Thank you.”

“They just seem so young,” he mutters. “Especially to be doing _that._ ”

“We were around their age when we started,” Alice reminds him.

“Really? It feels like we were older.”

Alice laughs. “No, we were just dumber and felt like we knew it all.”

It’s the first time in a long time that they’re not yelling at each other.

So FP takes a risk before the moment vanishes.

“Hey Al, can I ask you something?”

“You can certainly try.”

“And will you answer honestly?” he rushes to include the caveat. Had they been face-to-face it wouldn’t have been necessary.

Alice pauses. He knows she knows what he means. “Yes. Fine.”

FP takes a breath. “Do you regret what happened with us?”

“I-” she hesitates, gathering her conflicting thoughts. “I don’t regret being with you. I regret the after.”

FP frowns. “What do you mean?”

He’s definitely pushing his luck and he wouldn’t blame her if she just hung up. FP’s a little surprised when she doesn’t and actually gives him a small piece of honesty.

After all, lies are kind of her thing.

“Sometimes I wonder what things would be like if I told you…” she trails off and FP wonders for a moment if their connection had fizzled out. “Never mind. It’s stupid.”

In his mind’s eye, FP can imagine her shaking her head as she paces in her kitchen.

“Al, why did you stop coming to the Wyrm?” he urges gently. He knows that if he pushes too hard, he’ll scare her off. “What are you keeping from me?”

“I can’t tell you, FP. You know that,” He can vaguely hear her sniffle through the phone. “I’ve affected too many people. There’s too much at stake. I’ve made so many mistakes and if I see you it'll all come crashing down _._ ”

 

-

 

FP remembers exactly when Alice’s stopped hanging out at the bar. It was at some point at the start of senior year, when her powers started to develop. She disappeared to the Northside without saying a word.

She had always been a master at manipulating the truth and spinning lies to get what she wanted. Now armed with an ability, Alice was able to make those lies seem true and she was unstoppable.

She couldn’t alter fundamental truths. Grass is green, the sky is blue on a sunny day.

But she _could_ change people’s perceptions. If she told somebody that grass was purple, they would believe it even if it very clearly was not.

Alice likes to refer to it as reality modding but FP sees her lies for what they are.

Her powers don’t work around him.

Nobody’s powers do. 

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by a /r/writingprompts thread from a long time ago.
> 
> I might revisit this little world one day. But for now, I hope you enjoyed!


End file.
